Heart of Iron
by 7Hotaru7
Summary: Tres the Gunslinger never had a solid partner... until now. A new recruit to the AX has Tres locked into teaching her the ropes, but will she teach this killer doll a thing or two about the human side to him?
1. Chapter 1

Lady Catherina sighed and rubbed her temples with her forefingers. The door to her  
office opened revealing one of the killer dolls, Tres the Gunslinger. "Ah! Tres, come in."   
She looked up from her paperwork and sat back in her seat.

Lady Catherina of the Vatican had long, golden gleaming curls trailing down her back.  
A polished, clean monocle was what her right eye looked through to the rigid, red haired  
robot. Being the elder sister of the Pope, one of the two that helped him into power and a  
Cardinal; her voice, her gaze, her thoughts were full of authority. Even the way she held   
herself. Today was no exception.

"Catherina-sama," Gunslinger awaited her orders. His red hair glinted slightly in the   
morning light streaming in through the windows; his guns strapped securely and cleanly  
at his sides. His manner, although precise and unwavering, still had a small touch of  
human likeness. Even though it was buried deep at times.

Lady Catherine looked into his eyes, "Tres, we had a new recruit to AX and she has just finished training. She will need a partner and you are the best person to work with her. I would consider Abel but he already has Ester. Not to mention you would have advantages over certain… situations that he would not."

"Advantages."

The Cardinal's hard gaze appeared and she clasped her hands under her face. Her will was firm on keeping that information from the rest of the world until necessary. Nothing would bend her until it was time.

"Catherina-san! I have brought Zelda-san!" A cheerful, silver haired man called as he came through the door. A teen-aged girl in a white nun's outfit walked slowly into the room. Her dark brown hair was kept back out of her way except for her long bangs lining her heart-shaped face. Zelda's endless black eyes focused on the carpet. Her impossibly long eyelashes covered them but not before a quick glance at the others and an unfathomable deep blush appeared.

She spoke hesitantly, "Hello again Catherina-sama."

The older woman replied, "Hello Zelda. Now that you have finished your training you will be working with Father Tres on missions. For your first job you have something relatively easy, there have been a series of disappearances in Paris that require the both of you to travel there tomorrow."

"Eh? Catherina-san, that sounds like something the police should look into," the man that brought Zelda in interrupted.

Lady Catherina turned her sight to him. "Thank you, that will be all Abel."

"Fine, fine. I'm leaving," he sighed and closed the door.

She continued, "Your train leaves at eight, report back when you find something. Dismissed."

Both Tres and Zelda left her office in silence; only until they arrived at the entrance of the building did the new girl say anything, "Um, so I'll- I'll see you… tomorrow?"

He turned with a "Positive" and left, all the while not looking at her. She bit her finger and wondered what she had done to annoy him. She hardly said a coherent sentence to him but he seemed to dislike her for it anyway. Zelda wondered if this was to be the way they worked together from now on.

Tres' face suddenly appeared in her head, throwing her off balance. She shook her head violently to clear her thoughts.

"I'll try to think better, maybe it will be better tomorrow. I'll find someway to prove myself to him, and he won't hate me anymore!" She smiled to herself while walking home, going to go pack. _Tomorrow…_


	2. Chapter 2

A black and grease shined train pulled into the sweltering station. Zelda stood on her toes to get a good look over the heads of the other people in the crowd. Unfortunately, she wasn't the tallest person to ever come about and her physical stature was considerably different.

"Sister Zelda." The cool toned voice from yesterday appeared behind her.

"Ah!" She jumped back and knocked a poor bystander over. She apologized, placed a hand over her chest and exhaled. "…Tres… san?"

He made no motion or sound in response, to her disappointment. Zelda hesitantly continued, "Our train has arrived, shall we… go?" He passed her silently and handed his ticket over to the conductor. The man handed the yellow stub back to Tres as the robot was boarding the train.

The young girl mimicked her partner and ran to catch up to him. Her step was light and quick behind his fast paces. Her eyes kept to the patterned rug under her but she soon found herself being distracted by the dark cloth stretched over his broad shoulders. The material was pulled taunt over his upper body structure, only the cloak he wore kept it concealed- for the most part. He walked pass a sunny window that lit up every facial feature he had. Even his hair reflected golden light, contrasting and intertwining with his red strands. It was this wild fire that made Zelda's world ripple black at the edges and the ground rush up to meet her.

---

"Are you awake my dear? Honey, she's waking up!" A white, rocking ceiling focused into view, shortly followed by a blonde, middle-aged woman. She crooned in a motherly voice, "Are you feeling better?"

Zelda racked her brain to understand why pieces of her life were missing. She couldn't figure out why she was in this… train compartment… already. Or why there was an unknown- to her- couple by her side. "Yes… I am. Excuse me but what happened?" She sat up, examining her surroundings.

The man, presumed to be her husband, answered. "You fainted outside our cabin door. I offered to carry you here but the kind Father you are traveling with declined. He at least allowed us to stay with you while he went to go buy smelling salts from the club car."

"Then how did I get here if he didn't let you carry-" the blood rushed to her cheeks upon realization. She clapped her hands over her eyes in embarrassment and horror.

The woman didn't see her distress, "That nice young man carried you here, of course! He's even gone to the trouble to buy you camphor! Hardly anyone deserves such a caring travel companion!" Zelda's twisting inner turmoil peaked but was interrupted by Tres' arrival.

His incandescent image from before reappeared in the forefront of her mind. Alas! The fiery vision brought back the whole episode rather than a simple reflection. Embarrassment and his previous form nearly overwhelmed her thin nerves, almost causing another rehash of her swoon.

Seeing the possibility and her behavior, Tres quickly and fluently uncorked the bottle before shoving it under her nose. Unconsciously Zelda inhaled, causing her eyes to tear up and to have her sense of smell burned away temporarily. She clutched at her throat and flopped backwards in an unladylike fashion. In her fall, her head caught the edge of the windowsill sending sharp waves of pain into her brain. Her eyes wobbled and she rasped out, "Cork- it-!"

He did so, unaffected by the permeating smell. The couple had slipped off as soon as the bottle had been undone, leaving the cold robot and the awkward girl alone. He pulled her swaying form up and reached for the camphor again.

"NO!" She choked loudly, at least noticing that much. He stopped in mid pull and set it on the seat next to her. "I'm.. fine…" she pinched the pressure point on her neck to dim the throbbing. After a moment she looked up, "Thank you. For that and… earlier."

Tres ignored the blush heating up her face and sat down on the seat across the small compartment. For the remainder of the train ride, they sat in uncomfortable silence. Well, uncomfortable to Zelda. She tried to ask him a question once but he didn't respond. Over and over in her mind she berated herself, _Why? Why? Why? I promised that I'd prove myself and all I've managed to do was to prove that I was a fainting, clumsy, bumbling fool! He probably thinks that am not fit to be a member of the AX…_

Her thoughts continued in this direction until they arrived at their destination. She yanked her lone suitcase out from above her and turned to Tres. Earlier, it appeared that he had been sleeping but now that his eyes were open he looked no different from before. His flawless, smooth skin stayed in the same expression. His slightly ruffled hair kept every red strand in place. Even the wrinkles in his clothes seemed to be still!

The dark haired girl absorbed all of this in a moment because he stood a half of a second later. Their eyes met and he paused. Hope that she had been forgiven or at least given another chance, flooded her soul. Yet he quickly looked past her and continued to walk by. Zelda's hope was crushed and began to fade as she followed sadly.

Rays of bright, warm sunshine filtered in through the rafters over the Paris station. She quickly turned to see if the light would fall so gracefully on his radiant features. Ironically, he was standing in the shadow of a rafter.

Someone next to her lifted a lock of her hair off her face. "AH!!" She cried out and turned to see who it was. Tres spun around so swiftly that the human eye wouldn't have been able to follow. A young man of twenty, with long, deep auburn hair, soft green eyes and a relaxed, curving smile held it gently in his hand.

"Don't fear dear maiden, I will not harm you or your brilliant hair," a chivalric grin and gleam appeared in his narrow face. He bowed, still hold her hair, "Excuse me for not properly introducing myself, I am Lynde Schumacher. And what, dare I ask, is your name fair lady?"

Unaccustomed to this, Zelda placed a hand against her burning cheek. "I am Zelda Bäcker, nice to meet you Lynde-san."

"Please," he shook his head elegantly. "It is a pleasure to even see you." She did not understand very well considering she was new to being a sight of pleasure. "Your forever ebony eyes startle even the most composed sort of persons, your face that reflects the moon even while it hides, and your hair-!"

She was embarrassed by the over flowing compliments and started to mumble, "My hair isn't that great. It's only a simple brown color…"

"That's not true!" He exclaimed. "Every shade of all the colors appears in your hair whether you are in the sun or in the darkest room. It is as smooth as silk in my hand. It's as liquid as water and is as caressing as a rose petal." He brought the lock of her hair up to his lips.

Her face erupted in a cherry red. He whispered, "Lovely woman, you seem to become even more beautiful and spring like with that cherry blossom blush spreading across your moonlight face."

"You- you seem to be very poetic." Her voice box desperately tried to work correctly.

He smiled, let her hair go and shrugged, "I _am _a poet after all."

"A poet!" She was relieved to start a topic that wasn't about her.

"Yes, a bard as well when I'm struck with the right song. Like now, you are a song yourself and I am not sure if I have the words or the ability to compose you. But, if you would allow me a quick kiss from those crimson lips of yours, I would be able to break through the barriers like never before," Lynde leaned forward. A dark, cold shadow seeped over the love-struck boy that felt a lot like reserved malice. He looked up to see Tres standing behind Zelda, it was his shadow that was cast over them. Although Gunslinger's face stayed like it had before, he presence gave off itching shocks to the unwanted poet.

He bowed a little more formally this time. "I must go but we will meet again, Zelda-san," he whispered her name as if he were trying it out in his mouth and savoring it. It was then that Lynde stepped back and disappeared in the crowd.

They both stood there for a moment, watching after him, before she could say anything. "T-thanks."

He walked away without a word. A frown appeared on her face and she didn't follow him. Tres paused, knowing that she wasn't behind him. He turned his face slightly as if waiting expectantly and Zelda's face broke into a dazzling grin. She picked up her suitcase and ran to catch up to him.


	3. Chapter 3

"Tres-san?" a young black-eyed girl cocked her head, inquisitive. "What are you doing?"

Her unmovable partner responded, "Finding the Paris Police Headquarters."

"How?" Zelda wondered out loud. His eyes were closed and he had no map, leading her to the notion that he had no idea where he was going. Her thin, sleek fingers reached out and curled around his gloved hand. She smiled and led them through the winding streets of Paris. Tres stared at her back, mute. Her confidence and her soft smile almost had him reconsider Zelda Bäcker.

"Ah!" She let go of his hand as her foot slipped, causing her to come crashing down on the sidewalk. "Ouch," she winced and rubbed her sore calf. A hand appeared beside her and it seemed as if Tres were offering to help her up. Embarrassed heat waves radiated off of her being. She grasped his solid, steady hand and he swiftly pulled her up with a jerk.

She murmured a thank you for the fourth time that day as he ignored it once again and moved on. Half of a block away was the Police Station so there was no need for her to show him any farther. Besides, he appeared to know where he was going now.

Zelda stood behind him noiselessly at the Headquarters, letting herself disappear completely into the background. Her lack of ability in missions was painfully clear to everyone. It wasn't her fault though; this was the first real mission she had been handed by Lady Catherina. Still, feelings of worthlessness persisted.

A brush of soft, dark material against her cheek startled her from her thoughts. She looked around to see Tres walking off without her. Here is a lesson in cause and effect. Cause: By being so far behind, Zelda ran to stay right behind him. Effect: The running thus brought about the tripping, the falling down the stairs and the sprained ankle.

"Tres-san!" A hard blush caked on permanently to her face. "You… don't have to do that…" At that moment she was fighting the urge to faint again from two different sources. One was the pain and the second was the fact that her flame haired partner was bending down to wrap bandages around her ankle.

The roughened strips of linen were bound tightly, sending tendrils of pain up her leg. There were a few times that he hit one of her sore spots with one of his firm fists, creating waves of searing pain and threatening darkness. She bit her lip to keep from yelling out until the burning stopped and the floating black dots in her vision cleared away.

The tugging around her ankle stopped and Tres stood up. Her foot hesitantly touched the floor and felt around a bit, waiting for the pain to come. Gladness shone in her coal black eyes, "Thank you Tres-san! I suppose we should be going now, it's getting late!" She hopped up only to immediately regret it. The pain shot up her calf, into her hip and up her spine, causing her to groan and fall ground. The impact jarred her arm, which was the brace when colliding against the icy, marble floor.

"Ugh." The held-back word slipped past her trembling lips.

Gunslinger stooped down and picked her up. Her cries of no went ignored and they only stopped until he threw her over his shoulder like a sack. She paused in her declining for a moment then continued when he began his long strides.

"Please! I am truly fine! That was an accident back there! You can put me down!" Her eyes closed tight, "Please, put me down!!!" He stopped and obeyed her request. She breathed a sight of relief. "Thank you though. I appreciate it. I'm… sorry that I seem so burdensome. And I know that I may seem to be in your way. I also know that you must find me annoying… don't you?"

His hand went to his gun and in less than half of a second, the end of his polished, immaculate handgun was pointed at her face.

"W-what are you doing?!!" Zelda's pupils contracted in horror. She tried to take a step back but she knew it would be impossible to run. Then he pulled the trigger.


	4. Chapter 4

Sound waves erupted in her ear followed shortly by a flash of white light that washed over her eyes, permanently painting the inside of her eyelids. Zelda waited for the pain to start, or at least death to come quickly but neither happened. The bullet whistled past her right ear, striking an object in the background with a thump and a groan.

Eyes wide, the young girl turned. Shudders racked her body. Her throat constricted, saliva and air trapped in a lock. Only until she relaxed enough could her vocal cords spit out the strangled word, "V-vampire!"

The man that had been shot clutched his shoulder and staggered as he stood up. Garnet splattered fangs revealed themselves as the snarl pulled his lips up further. Zelda remembered her training and reached for her gun. The leech growled, "That hurt Terran." She pulled on her gun but it wouldn't come out of the strap. His ever-thirsting eyes fell to the struggling nun.

Again and again, desperately trying to yank her firearm free, she glanced up to watch helplessly as the vampire sped in her direction. He pinned her arms behind her back and ripped the gun from her side. A murderous smirk played on his lips as he turned her around to face Tres.

"Drop your weapon or your _tovares _here isn't going to live long enough for you to respond," he held up his hand, letting his nails grow to touch her pale, soft skin.

"Tres-san!" She cried out. "Don't! Don't listen to him! Shoot him!" The vampire's nails extended again and cut into her throat. Thin lines of blood trailed down her neck and onto her collar. The material soaked up the crimson liquid as it fell. Her voice, hardly a whisper, repeated, "Don't- listen- shoot- him."

Gunslinger started to lower his guns but a short wind whipped past them. Zelda's dark hair twisted wildly in the air and settled back down over her eyes. Shadowy movement shifted somewhere over to the right.

"Hey, vampire," a voice in the shadows called.

Her captor swung his head around. "'Vampire'?! Learn some respect lowly Terran!" The bloodsucker flung her away like a rag doll, her body hitting a building across the street. He raced towards the new enemy, leaving Tres and Zelda behind.

Her body thudded to the ground, pieces of brick and sand crumbled after her. "Tres… san…" the name pushed past her lips. Ringing filled her head and her thoughts were jumbled. There was no pain, only confusion.

Someone picked her up. Her eyes focused in and out, dazed. She recognized the pair of reddish-brown eyes swirling around somewhere in front of her face. Slowly, things began to sharpen, although the echoed ringing stayed in her ears.

"Gunslinger. How is she?" The voice from before appeared. It was a man in a black cloak with long, blonde locks curling down from out of his hood. He held a dark rod at his side.

"Father Hughue," he said, almost a greeting.

Zelda flushed. "This is Sword Dancer?!"

Hughue turned at his codename but spoke to his comrade, "How does she know of me?"

"You- you are also an AX member," she bowed her head in embarrassment.

Tres walked off towards the fallen vampire down the street. The new acquaintance moved to her side. "You are a new recruit." His sentence wasn't a question but more of a statement.

"Yes sir," she breathed silently. Tentatively she turned and managed to ask, "Hughue-san… I- I noticed something… back there. When the vampire attacked- I mean. Tres-san… his- his eye… glowed red."

Sword Dancer slowly angled around to inspect her face. "You mean you don't know?"

"Know what…?"

"Gunslinger is a robot."

Something inside her shattered and clicked in place all at the same time. "…Robot?" How could she not have seen his rigid movements, his unmoving face… even the underlying monotone in his voice? A shaking hand raised itself to cover her gasping mouth.

"The vampire Marcel Devereux, suspected in the disappearances of Paris is dead," the android announced as he came back into view.

Hughue asked, "You had to check to see if he was dead yourself?"

All horror and ghastly feelings swept away when she heard his voice. Her trembling stopped and she calmly advanced towards him. "Tres-san, I promise that I will no longer be a burden. You will never have to protect me again," her mind had flashed back to the Methuselah Marcel's threat. Zelda murmured "You will never have to put down your guns."

No one spoke, leaving the silence to weigh heavily on the one who was apologizing. The muteness continued creating guilty pressure on her conscious. She laughed nervously, "Well, that's it… Ah! It's really late! We better find a place to stay. Hughue-san? Do you have anywhere to sleep? If not, won't you join us?" Her beautifully sweet smile emerged; leaving no way to refuse the cheerful, luminous girl.

Noiselessly, both Tres and Hughue swept past her, giving her their answer. A wide grin broke across her face. She found and picked up her battered suitcase before joining them.

Half of a block from where they were at, she cried out, "Look! A dog! Such a cute dog!" The older AX members let her hobble up to it so they could talk privately but keep her in their sight.

Sword Dancer eyes flickered to his friend. "Sister Zelda. Sister Kate has mentioned her in passing. How would you describe her?"

"A hazard."

Just then Zelda cried out, the dog's teeth clamped very well into her hand. Tres pulled out his gun and fired at the mutt. Scared by the noise, it let go and ran away howling pitifully.

"Ouch," she held her hand against chest, trying to stop the bleeding. The blonde man muttered something about needing a shot or something of the like while their rusty haired robot bandaged the wound.

"I can see that this is the beginning of a long future full of 'accidents' waiting to happen," Hughue stated quietly.

Her lips pulled back into a warm smile, "I don't know about the 'accident waiting to happen' part but I like the sound of a long future."


	5. Chapter 5

"Tres-san!" Hughue-san!" Zelda's remarkably upbeat voice wafted through the door before she reached it. Hand raised, she leaned forward to knock but the door to the men's dingy hotel room had already opened.

"Good morning! I have something for both of you!" She waltzed through the door on an invisible breeze.

Tres stared down at her left hand, "What is that?"

Her eyes followed his gaze. Turning a dark red and hiding it behind her dress, "I-it's nothing. My hand slipped on some glass earlier."

"Where was the glass?" Hughue asked. Gunslinger took her hand (she protested, blushing, per usual), retrieved the thinning roll of gauze strips and bound her hand. Zelda noticed dryly that he was beginning to carry some type of first aid items on his person at all times.

She waved it off, "Oh, it was just outside. I had slipped and-" Cold, sharp glares probed her to stop talking.

"You went outside?" Unhappy as he was, Sword Dancer stayed quietly calm. "You shouldn't have done that. You might have hurt yourself far worse and we weren't there to help to you."

"Didn't I promise that I wouldn't be a burden anymore?" She looked up painfully into their eyes.

"Accidents happen."

"Sister Zelda," her partner spoke. "You are requested to stay with Father Hughue or myself for the remainder of this mission." She made a face but said nothing. It didn't sit well with her that she had to be looked after, although, she didn't mind their presence.

Hughue changed the subject. "What were you doing outside?"

She reached in her pocket and drew out two slightly withered, small, purple flowers. "I- I just wanted to give you each a flower… A nice girl was selling some around the corner and they were so beautiful! Look!" Zelda placed one in each of their hands. They stared down at the tiny objects in their palms.

"Ah! Tres-san!" Swiftly, she came to his side. "Don't hurt it, you must be gentle when hold it. If you grip it too tightly, it will be crushed." She slipped her small hands around his solid, gloved one. "Gently. Gently," she whispered. His hand that held the flower relaxed a fraction. She smiled up at him as he looked down at her.

"Ahem," the third wheel on the other side of the room coughed quietly.

She jumped away, embarrassed. As she was trying to fade away into the background, an idea struck her. "H-Hughue-san, T-Tres-san, May I show you a place that has many wonderful flowers?" She had smiled that compelling smile once more, rapidly shutting down all opposition.

They strolled through the streets, stopping once in a while when some shiny item distracted Zelda. Randomly she would point out names of roads that had no names, she would remark how long a certain building had been standing for or she became sad whenever they passed a store that had gone out of business.

"Sister Zelda, have you been to Paris before?" Hughue asked a rhetorical question.

"Yes, I once lived here. A long, long time ago…" Mist clouded over her onyx eyes.

The men studied her while she was reminiscing. Thankfully, she didn't ponder long, for the park that she was taking them to was only around the corner. She grabbed their hands to drag them along faster.

"We're almost there! You both will love it. The flowers are the most-" she stopped in her tracks. A paved, ugly lot stretched before them; all signs of greenery had all but disappeared. Her hands let go of theirs, falling to her side.

"Sister Zelda."

A shadow had crossed over her upper face, shielding her eyes from view. "Let's go back. I'm sorry to have wasted your time." Listlessly, she turned around and headed back the way they came.

Hoping to cheer her up, they stopped by a bridge to let her watch the flowing water underneath. But, they kept her far enough back that she wouldn't slip and fall over the rail.

Hughue narrowed his golden eyes at the darkening sky, "We'll have to go soon."

"Why?" Zelda lifted her head up.

"It's going to rain. Gunslinger and water do not go together."

"Oh. I see."

She decided to examine a passing boat and shortened the distance between her and the rail. Giving a chance for the elder AX members to speak quietly behind her back.

"I leaving in a few minutes to follow a lead to Amsterdam," Sword Dancer said, knowing it would be relayed to Lady Catherina.

"Understood."

A scream and the sound of a fluttering dress interrupted their conversation. They raced to the stone railing to see Zelda falling to the sweeping, murky river below. She stretched out her hand towards her partner. A screaming name tore from her lips right before she plunged into the opaque, raging waters. "Tres-san!!!!!!!"


	6. Chapter 6

There were hazy voices somewhere above the darkness. Zelda heard them but couldn't understand the words. And every moment they grew more dim. It was a bit frightening to have the voices go away but she was slowly falling back into a world of blackness. A void empty of color, sound, tastes and touch began to peacefully envelop her mind.

When she stretched out her consciousness to grasp the void, something sharp intruded into the tranquility. Like a dagger, the foreign surprise split the world down to the core. Bright light, striking colors, deafening sounds and cringing pain overwhelmed her senses as her eyes popped open. Her consciousness was brought back from that dark place into a world of light.

Water came up from her lungs in a rush, making her cough it out in spurts. Her whole body shook every time she coughed. Just as she had managed to come back, the light above her blurred. Threatening black crinkled around the edges of her vision, seeping inward each second.

"Breathe," someone commanded her.

Her late instincts functioned again, bringing oxygen and life into her lungs. The dark evaporated leaving her feeling cold and wet, but still alive. She sat up and noticed that she was wet. Memories of her frightening decent were brought forth to the front of her mind. Glancing around, she took in her surroundings. Zelda was lying on the stone-paved ground near the bridge. Hughue and Tres were by her side, leaning over her to see if she was all right.

"Hughue-san? Why are you covered in water?" her voice sounded small and hoarse.

He brushed a thick, dripping, flaxen lock out of his eyes. "You fell in the river. Gunslinger can't swim." She understood that he had jumped after her. "It was a good that I stayed longer." She also understood that if he hadn't been there… she might not be here.

"Y-you're leaving?" The shivering began and her teeth clattered.

"Yes," he straightened up. "Here, take this. I wont be able to keep it with me. Give it to me next time." He gave her back the now drowned flower from earlier.

Hope flooded inside of her, "Next time?"

He cast a look to Tres, "Gunslinger. Take care of her." Then, Sword Dancer disappeared in the oncoming sheets of rain.

Starting from down the street, the rain fell in layers, warning Zelda. She tugged on her partner's arm, "Let's go! Hurry! We need to find shelter!" Just as the first drops hit, she pushed him under an overhang of a bakery.

She leaned against the glass, sighing, "That was close."

Tres did not respond or even look her way. He probably wasn't listening either. She berated herself thinking that she caused some more problems with her dip in the river.

"T-thanks… for earlier…" she murmured shyly while staring at her feet. Again, he did nothing to show that her presence, let alone her words, had any effect on him. It was almost like she wasn't even there. She wondered if he was tired of hearing thank yous and didn't think she really meant it. Standing on her tiptoes, she leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

He turned to her, "What did you do?"

She smiled warmly, "I was thanking you."

---

"Targets fleeing," bullets ricocheted off of everything in the warehouse. Tres reloaded his guns and aimed them at the running vampires.

Zelda had her little gun out as well. "I'm going around to cut them off." She vanished into the night without a trace. A minute later a gun firing and the screams of quite a few bloodsuckers rang out.

"Silver!" One hissed, twisting in agony.

"Tell me what happened to the missing people!" She threatened, pointing the gun in their direction.

An explosion behind her rocked the warehouse on its hinges. The blast knocked her off of her feet, sending her spiraling through the air. She crashed into a metal wall of one of the other warehouses. Before she blacked out, she would hear and see things that would never leave her memory. The first was the image of Tres being thrown backwards into the warehouse again as it collapsed. The second was the sound of a man's laughter, swelling and waning over the demolished area.


	7. Chapter 7

Zelda's charcoal eyes fluttered under her ivory lids. She looked up at the sienna ceiling through a cloud of eyelashes. Slowly her eyes moved to the edge of her vision. Realization hit her: she was in her hotel room. Sitting up warily, she held her pounding head, waiting for it to stop.

The rusty doorknob turned and the dry wooden door swung open. She lifted her head from her hand. To her surprise, a familiar brick-colored robot stood there. Eyes widening, she threw off her covers and tumbled out of her bed. Her left foot caught on a sheet, causing her to slam against the scarred, cold floor. She ignored it, freed herself and ran up to her _tovares_.

With her arms outstretched, she paused in her greeting. Her hand hesitated to touch his cloak in fear he might disappear from this dream. Instead of hugging him, she tried a different approach that would validate his existence. Trembling, she reached for his hand. Once she felt the soft material of his glove and the hard hand under it, she grabbed it and pressed it to her cheek.

They stood like that for a minute. The only sounds being made were from the songbirds outside the window. Zelda breathed deeply, rubbing her face against his hand. Strangely, it helped with the throbbing in her head.

"Sister Zelda," Tres said after a short time.

She gazed up into his eyes and smiled, "I'm so glad you are alive. I had thought that you had died back there- at the warehouse." Tentatively she began to raise her hand to touch his face. It stopped a hair's breath from his skin. After a moment her fingers brushed his cheek. Since he had no pulse, she found it startling then serene.

His face was in the same expression as usual but it was slightly calmer. Gradually and deliberately he removed his hand from her clutch and gently pushed her back. "Sister Zelda, Catherina-sama has ordered us to return." He walked out into the hall and shut the door behind him.

She staggered backwards, trying to get a grip on herself. "Stop it Zelda," she whispered out loud. "Act professional! These last few days you have been behaving totally irrational!" Tres' face arouse in her lecture.

"Stop!" She shook her head in self-vented frustration and backed up. Her foot hit a chair, sending her painfully to the ground, taking the chair with her. Zelda simply laid there on the floor, tangled in the object that made her fall.

---

Through out the train ride, silence stretched to the breaking point in a certain compartment. Towards the end, Tres finally shut his eyes, helping his partner to breathe a bit. The lonely dark haired girl stared wistfully out the window at the rain. Each individual droplet washed down the glass separating her and the downpour outside.

She continued to watch the never ending storm clouds roll by, replacing the gray with radiant rays of sunshine. The sun's heat licked up the water on the earth and the little drops clinging to her windowpane. A horn sounded, interrupting her observations.

Gunslinger stood up and she noticed that the train had come to a halt. She reached for her suitcase before following him silently out the sliding door. Zelda stepped out into the brilliant light and shielded her dark eyes from bright sun. When she reached the sidewalk, she found a problem. A large puddle in the middle of the walk had stayed behind from the rain. She couldn't go around it because of a building on the right side and a busy street on the left.

"Here my lady, let me help you," a pair of hands swept down and threw their coat over the water.

"Lynde-san?! When did you get here? And how did you find me?"

The admirer smiled, "I checked the train that had transported you to Paris and found you had come from here. So I came to Rome to see you. I wasn't sure when you would come home but I knew you would. That's why I waited at the station for you."

A raging blush spread across her face, "You waited at the station for me?! For how long?"

He took one of her hands in his. "It doesn't matter. I'm with you now. Your presence is nearly overwhelming! Such beauty that cannot be compared! The light in your eyes that is calling my soul! Your charming blush is a wonderful experience! Your kindness is a needed thing for my heart! And that smile of yours- it could kill a man!"

Zelda stumbled for words, flushing madly.

"My dear, didn't I tell you last time that we would meet again? Don't you see, it is _destiny_. Ah, I nearly forgot- but how could I truly forgot such a thing? I never was honored with that kiss," he placed a hand against her cheek. Lynde leaned forward but his love was yanked out of his hold.

Tres had scooped her up into his arms and begun to walk across the puddle. First, another wave of heat assaulted her face. Secondly, she realized what was happening. She started, "Tres-san!!! Don't! It's water and you-" At that moment she chose to look down and see that he wasn't going through the water. He was walking on top of Lynde's coat.

She tried to hide her laughter by quickly covering her mouth and glancing over her partner's shoulder. The poet cast a grimace at her robotic knight and gingerly picked up his wet, stained jacket.

Lynde ran to cover the ground Tres had made with his long, quick strides. He sent a sharp glance their way, "You know you can let her down now. There is no more water."

Gunslinger put her back on the ground and she watched with amusement the annoyed waves her admirer was radiating off his being. Then her thoughts turned to the missing people in Paris, the vampires that she had shot and ran off, the explosion and the laughter. That haunting laughter that she refused to remember and only heard in her nightmares.


	8. Chapter 8

"WEED-SAN!" Zelda yelled to the priest down the corridor.

He scowled, "Weed? Is that what you're calling me now?"

When she reached him, she smiled and nodded, "Yes!"

Father Leon, also known as Dandelion, sighed and put an hand against his head in annoyance. Long, wavy, brown hair stopped around his mid-back. His face needed a shave, and his features were locked into a permanent grimace.

"Well, what did you stop me for?" he responded gruffly.

She smiled and pulled out a small red bag from her pocket. "Here! I baked these this morning! They're cookies!"

Leon hesitated. Everyone in the AX, save for Tres, learned from the beginning how awful her cooking was. It could be just as dangerous as taking a swig of cyanide. It was a fifty percent chance of getting poisoned and a one hundred percent chance of making you want to spit it back out. Slowly he reached inside the pouch. The 'cookie' was little more than a charred oval-ish stick.

"Look, it's a fish!" She smiled and pointed out the wobbly, hard-to-see shape.

"Oh…" Knowing that he'd regret it, he shoved it quickly into his mouth. He clutched his throat and made a strange choking noise. He coughed it back up and threw it in the grass.

"What's wrong?" Zelda asked innocently.

Dandelion's eyes grew large as he searched for a plausible answer. "Uh… I think I'm allergic to something in your formula…"

"Oh, I'm sorry," she placed a sad little hand on his arm.

Guilt weighed a bit heavily on his conscious as he waved it off. "It's fine. Don't worry. It was still uh… good, though. But, I uh, had better get going. I'm going to see the Professor."

She brightened up, "I'll go with you! I wanted to give him a cookie too!"

He muttered to himself as they continued to walk down the corridor, "Heh, can't wait to see that."

The Professor was standing in the garden, talking to Sister Kate. The hologram woman disappeared upon their arrival. William Walter Wordsworth turned to greet them. He had a pipe in his mouth, his short dark hair glinting in the sun.

His laughing dark eyes smiled, "What can I do for the two of you today?"

"I baked some cookies today and I wanted to give one to you!" He paused and Zelda noticed. "What is it? They're good!! Weed-san said they were good and a priest isn't suppose to lie!"

The Professor arched his eyebrows at his friend. "That's right, a priest _isn't_ suppose to lie!"

He more or less whispered that comment at Leon but the baker heard it anyway. "That's right!" She handed him an evil cookie.

William inspected the black, crunchy fish with two fingers. "It… looks so good…"

Just then, Lynde's voice echoed over the hedge walls, calling her name. Leon took that time to whisper harshly, "A priest isn't suppose to lie!"

"Well, I'm human," he chucked her creation over a gazebo.

Zelda turned back to the other AX members, "I had better go, Lynde-san is calling me. I'm glad you enjoyed the cookies!"

Professor turned serious. "You know, it would be best if you didn't spend anymore time with that young man."

"What?"

Dandelion finished saying what his friend wasn't, "He doesn't seem to like you for your mind. If you have to have a mindless follower that fauns over everything that you do, they might as well like you for your personality!"

"But… Lynde-san is a nice friend…" she tried to defend him. She wasn't getting use to his overflowing compliments but he was kind. The last few weeks in Rome he had been visiting her everyday. He would bring her gifts sometimes, or his undying love- as he called it. There were a few times he tried to kiss her but somehow, someway, Tres was always right behind them.

"Sure… to you. But that boy obviously wants to be more than friends."

She shook her head, blushing, "I- I… have to go." Turning on her heel, she lost her balance and landed in the soft, slightly damp dirt.

"Are you alright?" The Professor leaned over.

"I'm fine, thank you."

The men watched her trip two more times before she stumbled away, face on fire. Leon sighed and rubbed his head, "She's a nice girl. She trips on air and she can't cook…"

"…But she's still sweet." William finished. After a moment he remarked, "I hope that young man doesn't hurt her in anyway."

"If he does he'll be in a lot of pain."

"Why?"

"Because he'll find an angry priest who likes to fight."

"Father Leon, Father William." Tres strode up behind them. "Where is Sister Zelda?"

"Eh, Gunslinger! You just missed her! She's gone to meet that Lynde guy at the front gate," Leon answered.

---

Zelda thought about what Weed had said as she continued to make her way among the bushes. She didn't like to think that Lynde was truly interested in her. She didn't like it for two reasons: One, she couldn't imagine someone liking her. That notion was impossible to come to terms with. And two, if they were real, she couldn't return those feelings… because she already had given them away.

Tres' rusty brown eyes loomed over that last thought. Unconsciously, she jerked her body. Her foot twisted and she tumbled into the wall of twigs and leaves to her left. "Ah! I'm so clumsy!" She exhaled before untangling herself from the hedge. To her surprise, and pain, her hair had caught on a branch. Yanking and tugging in earnest, she came free.

"Ah!" The force of her actions pushed her back, but instead of hitting the ground she crashed into someone else behind her.

"Sister Zelda?" Silver haired Abel peered down at her.

"Abel-san! Thank you for catching me!" She smiled and straightened up. "Oh! I have a cookie I want to give you! I made it myself!"

"Oh?! A cookie! Yum! I haven't eaten anything solid in a long time…" his azure eyes glistened and his upturned mouth watered. She passed him one of the burnt cookies, which he gladly snapped up. He swallowed it quickly and then stared sorrowfully at his empty hand. "That was really good Zelda-san."

She smiled and tossed the garnet bag to him, "Here, I don't think anyone else is going to have any and I know you need to eat."

"Thank you Zelda-san!" He cried happily and dug into the pouch. He stuffed them into his mouth, handful by handful, munching away in wonderful bliss.

"Abel-san? Can I ask you something?" She cocked her head slightly. He nodded, mouth full. "In Paris, Tres-san and I had followed some vampires suspected in the disappearances of those people. And.. the building blew up. I saw him get thrown back into the falling warehouse. I saw him! But the next thing I knew I was in my hotel room and he was fine!"

He answered while crumbs fell down his shirt. "Tres' body must have been intact in the wreckage. He has a self-recovery system that brings him back if anything should happen to him."

"Oh." She stored this information away for later use.

Abel searched the inside of the bag for more but it appeared to be empty. He turned it upside down and shook it. One lone, half of a disgusting cookie landed in the grass. "No!" He whimpered and dived for it.

The stinging on Zelda's face intensified. When she had gotten stuck in the hedge earlier, branches had clipped her face. One of the more painful ones opened up and a small trail of blood streamed down her cheek.

From behind, someone pressed a white handkerchief against her cheek, wiping off the blood. She looked over her shoulder to see Tres. "Ah! Tres-san!" Her already red face colored another shade darker.

"Catherina-sama requests our attendance."

Zelda asked, "Why?"

"We're being sent on a mission," he answered. "Sister Kate has found the vampires who caused the deaths of the people in Paris."


	9. Chapter 9

Zelda inhaled sharply, "Wow." She pressed her nose against the small circular window, forgetting about the frigidness of the glass. Clouds lazily drifted by with the multi colored world lying so still and so peacefully below. If it were not for the aircraft's propellers then all would be silent. She could imagine floating tranquilly in the sky, only listening to the hush all around her. To not be tied down by anything. To be free to wander the horizon, waltz among the clouds, to tell secrets to the wind and to see the world at a glance. What a life that would be!

"Miss, is this your first time flying?" An attendant asked, disturbing the young dreamer's thoughts.

She breathed softly, watching the heat fog up the glass. "Yes. I was afraid at first but now, I love it!"

Lady Catherina had sent her and Tres to Amsterdam to settle the vampire attacks quickly. Zelda had thought that she would get to see Hughue again but to her disappointment, she was told that he had already left. She thought back to Lady Catherina's words.

"_Tres, Zelda," Duchess Sforza hardened her eyes. "I have gotten word that the Rozen Kreuz Orden is most likely behind the disappearances of the people in Paris and now in Amsterdam. No one knows why they have started petty killings but I'm sending you two in."_

"_Ma'am, you don't think that the people are… dead… do you?" Tears hovered at the edge of the newest recruit's vision._

_Golden, wise eyes closed for a moment, "Most likely."_

_She put her head in her hands, trying to hold back tears. The thought of innocent living creatures dying pained her heart. A strong hand grasped her shoulder, making her look up. Her partner didn't look at her but his hand helped ease the sadness._

"_You will take the next open aircraft to Amsterdam, dismissed," the Cardinal regained her regal posture and commanding tone._

_Sister Kate appeared as the pair left. "My lady, do you think it wise to send Sister Zelda to the Orden only after her first mission?"_

"_I am reluctant to use Zelda in this matter," her eyes flickered to the window. "But not for the reasons you know."_

The ebony eyes girl had not heard this last part, although, she did remember sneezing just outside her superior's office.

Barely touching the frosty glass with the tips of her fingers, she wished the barrier between her and the outside world was gone. Inside her head came the words to that old song about the children of the falling stars joining hands and performing a dance. She imagined brilliant fires hurtling from outer space. They stopped in their inevitable death to pause outside her window. Ten of the rainbow children halted for her and reached out for their brethren's arms. After they completed the circle, slowly and in time, they began to rotate clockwise.

"_Zelda… come. Come and join us…_" their crackling, whispery voices called.

She pointed to herself. "Me?"

"_Yes._"

Hesitantly she pushed on the window separating them. It floated away gently, letting the cool night air in. Her hand stretched out through the opening, to see if this was really happening. Soft, nice wind passed over her arm; validating the vision. She leaned forward, letting herself be tugged outwards.

"Sister Zelda," the dim name pulled her back.

She struggled, "No!"

Once more, "Sister Zelda."

Someone's smooth cloth touched her cheek briefly and slightly tenderly. Her eyes blinked but instead of the fire children in front of her, it was her partner. She had dreamt all of it. Reddening, she stood up quickly but lost her balance. Tres caught her before she fell and put her right again.

"Thanks…" another blush swept over her.

He turned noiselessly and headed for the exit. It was then that she became aware that the plane had landed and she was the last one still aboard. Embarrassment nearly killed her as she ran after the robot. But if embarrassment didn't kill her then, soon something else would make sure to.

---

Sister Kate had wired the coordinates of the vampires' hideout to Tres. It was an old, run down building on the edge of the city. Mold and vines spread vastly and freely over the property. Several windows had been shattered while others were boarded up. Inside, inky darkness crawled and lay in wait.

Zelda extracted her handgun from her side and glanced at her _tovares _before moving. His left eye glowed ruby red. He loaded his guns and strode forward, into the preying ancient house. She followed after and the emptiness engulfed her, swallowing her up.

They stopped in a grand front room, watching for any shadowy motion. Without speaking they separated, Zelda going to the right, Tres to the left. She cocked her shaking gun and stepped gently into pitch-black room.

"Well, look at this! A little scared mouse has come to visit the cats," a man chuckled behind her. A scream caught in her throat as she whipped around to face him. The vampire laughed again. "Why do you shield your back from _me_? Especially when there are ten _others _behind you."

It took all she had to keep from screaming murder and stay still. Her voice shook as she asked, "What- what happened to- to- to the people?"

A few leeches across the room laughed but said nothing. The man in front of her ignored her and her question. "It's been a while since we had a drink, we'll have to thank our master for her later."

"Wh- who is your master?" She trembled.

He didn't look at her while he spoke, "He is our master and we are his humble puppets." A scowl flashed on his face momentarily. "We might not get to play with both of them, but at least we have the girl."

Zelda lifted her gun up higher. "What do you mean 'both of them'?"

His smile warped into an insane grin, "Our master will toy with your _tovares_ for a while. We know he's an android but it'll only create more fun." She started shaking and the vampire tore the firearm from her hands. He arched his neck so he could breathe in her ear, "If we kill you quickly we might be able to watch it. Watch him be ripped apart, piece-by-piece. Watch as his system die out slowly. See the light in his eyes fade away."

Unimaginable anger swelled inside her breast. It overflowed it the reserves of patience and tranquility. Something inside her broke; unleashing the overwhelming hate and madness. A low, echoing, guttural growl rose from her stomach to her throat. She snarled, "Like I would let you."

---

On the other side of the building Gunslinger shot a door off of its hinges. He walked into the room, guns smoking. At the other end, strange vials hovered in the air.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" Someone's hushed words slithered from the shadows. A man in black with long, purple hair and pale skin stepped forward. A strange smile played on his lips.

"Are they yours?" Tres aimed his weapons, ready to shoot at a moment's notice.

The man smirked, "No. I am only baby-sitting them for a friend." His gaze revolved around the objects, lusting after them. "Do you know what they do? They can turn _anything_ human. Soon everyone will want them- to get rid of their 'vampire problems'. And in turn, the vampires will strike back with a vengeance. Brilliant, isn't it?"

For a response, Gunslinger fired at the vials but a green force field blocked his bullets.

"I'm sorry, but you cannot be doing that. You see, we need them to start a war for us. And if you destroy them what will we do?" The man paused and inclined his head towards a wall. "Hmm, that is interesting. I see you and the Vatican have _quite_ the little army. Until next time," he and the vials vanished like smoke.

Tres strapped one of his guns back to his waist and left to check on Zelda. Bust as he came closer to the room she disappeared in earlier, strange sounds met his ear. The door was half ajar and inside was a lone, dark form bending over the dead vampires. His hawk eyes noticed a dark gray armor pulled over as a second skin on the specter. Every hair on its head was covered, creating a perfect shield. Blood dripped down a clawed, impenetrable hand.

He pulled his vision back to take in the whole person. Then he saw what it was wearing: a white nun's outfit. Her labored breathing ceased as the shield dissolved and left a weak Zelda standing in the carnage. Her eyes closed and she sunk to the dirty floor, unconscious.


	10. Chapter 10

---

_Vatican. Cardinal Sforza's office._

"Catherina-san!" Abel burst into the room. "Is it true? About Zelda-san, that is."

Three other AX members who were already discussing that topic, looked up. Lady Catherina pressed her forehead and sighed. "It depends on what you've heard."

"So it is true?!" Father Leon advanced towards her desk.

"To a point." She leaned back in silent frustration, knowing that this day would have come. "She is not a monster, she is fully human just like the rest of us. She only has a special ability just like the rest of you."

The silver haired priest relaxed, "I'm so glad. I knew she wasn't like that. She wouldn't hurt a fly!"

Dandelion rolled his eyes and snorted, "Of course she wouldn't hurt a fly! She only killed eleven vampires in a matter of minutes…"

"Enough!" Their boss barked. They obeyed and settled down without another eye roll. "Zelda does have one difference that sets her apart. The ability she carries she cannot control consciously. It's only when she loses herself that she subconsciously taps into her gift."

"Loses herself?" Professor took the pipe out of his mouth. "You mean, when she becomes angry enough?"

Father Vaclav, a man with dark, long hair streaming down his back and a goatee rimming his mouth, stood up. "Sister Zelda seems to be a overly patient and full of kindness. A trait hard to find in most people. It is surprising that it takes anger to use her power."

Leon rubbed his neck, "Eh? What's the big deal? Even if she can't control it, it's still useful to have."

"That's not it. For you see, when she pushes herself so far as to need her ability, she doesn't remember anything afterwards." She said solemnly.

"Eh?!! Anything at all?!"

"Nothing. This and the fact that calling upon her ability, unleashes such overwhelming stress that she- in a sense- loses herself," the words formed from Lady Catherina's lips.

Abel cocked his head, "Then why is she being sent on missions? That's certainly stressful!"

The Duchess did not appreciate the comment but continued anyway. "She can still be useful. Zelda does have nearly limitless patience, which means that it is less likely for her to use her gift."

"The key words there are 'nearly limitless'," the Professor pointed out. "What happens when she can't control herself and destroys more than the enemy?"

It was a few minutes before the angel-haired woman responded. "There was a reason I made Tres her partner." Everyone waited silently until she spoke once more. "If that were to happen and Tres could not calm her down… he would be ordered to _take_ her down."

---

_Amsterdam. A hotel room._

Zelda forced herself to open her eyes, as hard as that task suddenly seemed. Time crept by while her vision focused in and out. "Tres-san…?" She whispered his name. Someone moved next to her, alerting her although she could feel his presence anyway. His aura seeped out into the air, soothing her thin, stretched mind. After a while she managed to turn her head far enough that she could see him out of the corner of her eye. "Did I faint on you again? It seems I keep waking up in a hotel room. I bet you had to save me again, huh?" She chuckled lightly.

Tres did not move or say anything. Even though this was normal, something made her take another look at him. He wasn't staring in her direction and his posture was almost.. cold.

"What is it?" She asked more strongly now. "What's wrong?"

The phone rang and he stood up. "Catherina-sama will tell you."

Her hand weakly grabbed a fist full of his cloak, "I want you to tell me." He glanced over his shoulder at her, then the phone. "Please."

He tugged once on the cloth, slipping it out of her limp grasp. Tears stung her eyes in shock of the hurtful brush off. The android picked up the handset and held the receiver up to her ear.

"Hello?" Zelda choked, trying to desperately hold her tears at bay. She wouldn't cry in front of Tres, nor would she let her superior hear anything of the like.

"Zelda?" Lady Catherina's voice came out of the phone. "How are you feeling?"

She gulped, knowing the news would be bad. The Duchess of Milan never asked how anyone was doing. "…Tired… ma'am."

"Hmm, are you wondering why I am calling?"

"Yes." The word nearly caught in her throat. She listened soundlessly while the older woman answered her previous question and more. "So… is that why I am so weak right now?"

"It's because summoning a shield of such strength requires all of your energy. It was a miracle that your heart didn't stop beating," Lady Catherina remarked.

One of the tears she was forcing back spilt over her resolve and down her cheek. "No, it would probably have been better if I did die back there. No one wants a freak like myself alive." With the hand he was using to hold the phone next to her ear; his finger rubbed her face and hair slightly. Her breathing stopped momentarily only to continue when the great lady expressed a fierce rejoinder.

"I never want to hear you say that again! Do you understand me? Don't ever think that you need to die. And you aren't a freak, if you were then what would you call your fellow Fathers and Sisters in the AX?"

She expelled little laugh, "You're right. I'm sorry ma'am."

"I've heard from Tres that you unable to make the trip home at this time. Stay where you are at for now and when he informs me that you are up to it, come back," she hung up before Zelda could say anything.

"Home?" She frowned. Her partner reigned in the phone and put it back on the table. "I've… never had a home before. My parents passed away when I was young and I have been in several orphanages all around Europe. Up until I joined the AX, I was tossed about like a package going from one stop to the next. Now I see, I finally have a family. It's with you and everyone else in the AX." A few more tears followed the first.

His hand reached over her face. Unsure about what he was going to do, she stayed still. He closed her eyelids down. "Sleep."

Five minutes later she dared to open one of her eyes. His back was turned so she used that chance to stare at him. She noticed the chair next to the bed and realized that he had been sitting there while she was out. Gratitude and relief passed over her, nearly starting the waterworks again.

Tres swiveled around as if knowing that her gaze was fixed on him. Quickly she feigned sleep and sighed as if she were having a dream. His footsteps came closer and she knew that he knew she was only faking it. She was about to open her eyes, caught in the act, but his glove touched her cheek. The smooth feel of the cotton knocked the wind out of her lungs. He reigned in his hand quickly, seeing her stop breathing.

The phone rang again, letting the moment pass. When he strode over to answer it, she frantically tried to steady her breaths, hoping to keep from sucking in air like a vacuum.

Abel's voice rang out, "Hey!! Tres!! How is everything going? Is Zelda-san alright?"

"HEY! I WAS GOING TO CALL HER! GIMME THE PHONE!" Leon's far away yell boomed.

"No!! I got to it first so wait your turn!!!" The silver man called back at his friend. "Ah, sorry Tres! Someone's in a bad mood here, because they took too long in debating whether they should call or not!"

"EH?! Say what?!!" Dandelion's embarrassed shout made it over the distance.

"Father Nightroad," her _tovares_' laconic response interrupted their fight.

Loud banging erupted from the phone, followed by angry yells and glass shattering. "I never do such things!!! And besides, I was going to use it before you even thought about! So give it to me!"

"Help me!! He's going to kill me! Someone help!!!" Abel's muffled cries crossed the hotel room to Zelda's ear. She bit her lip to keep from laughing and ruining her charade any farther. Joy filled her heart at the thought of returning home soon. She couldn't wait to be back with her rowdy family… with Tres at her side.


	11. Chapter 11

Warm light filtered in through the dirty window, illuminating Tres' features. His smooth skin turned a light golden color, his hair turned to a stunning flame while his reddish brown eyes lit up. At the moment those eyes were closed, giving his partner a chance to stare.

For the last few days Zelda had been in bed, still languid and torpid after her last mission. All the while Tres had been sitting in a chair next to her, making sure she rested. Every day she would say that she was strong enough to ride back to Rome. And everyday he would show her that she wasn't.

He opened his eyes then, catching her staring. Flushing madly, she toppled backwards, scraping her skull against the edge of the headboard. She clutched her head as the pain laced around the sore spot. She clamped her teeth down on her tongue so she wouldn't cry out. Someone's fingers shifted through her hair, probing the injury. That only made it hurt worse but she dug her nails into her scalp to take some of the burning from the original pain away.

Gunslinger pulled his hand back, stark crimson splotches appeared against the blinding white glove. Her eyes widened, "Ah! I'll wash that! It's my fault that your gloves got dirty."

He didn't seem to care. "Blood is always on my gloves." This made her wince because she knew that he didn't bleed. Which meant that someone else's blood was constantly ruining them. Before taking out the first aid kit, he tossed the old one away and retrieved another.

Unrolling the gauze strips- for the millionth time since he met her- he began to mummify her head. While this was going on, she closed her eyes, drinking in his presence. It was a sharp aura, with a metallic kind of flavor. She didn't mind the cutting edge feel, because it had a warm after burn. Her blood skittered even if a tendril traced over her sensitive skin.

"What are you doing?" he asked in his normal deep voice.

"Oh! I'm…" Zelda noticed he had finished bandaging her head. "I was thinking. Are we going back to Rome today?"

He stared at her, almost sizing her up. "Positive."

"Thank you! Thank you!" She launched forward and hugged him happily. He stiffened slightly but didn't move. She felt him freeze under her, so she let go quickly. "I'm sorry, that made me so glad! You made me so glad!"

Tres stood up from his chair, waiting for her. She blushed, "Ah- I may need a moment to get ready." He understood and strode through the door, closing it behind him. She leapt out of bed, searching for her shoes. Grabbing them from under the bed, she shoved her feet in and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Eh," she murmured. She now regretted not bringing anything with her, not even a small bag. She soon forgot about her untidy hair and sadly threw her ruined nun's outfit into the trashcan. She would have to leave in normal clothes and buy a new one at the Vatican. Looking around the room, she felt that something had been missing. But what?

"Tres-san!!" She slung open the door, shouting his name. She looked to the left to see that he had been standing beside her. "Oh, there you are. Sorry, but, have you seen my gun? I think I left it back-"

He held up her gun without glancing her way. "Oh." While handing her gun over, he turned it sideways, making it seem like he believed she would accidentally shoot herself.

"Thank you Tres-san," she strapped it to her waist. Without hesitation, he scooped her up and carried her down the staircase. The Blush came back in full force, "W-why are you doing this?"

"You would trip," another of his curt responses.

Her face debated between reddening even further and paling to a sheet white. Feelings of embarrassment that she couldn't even walk up and down stairs properly plagued her. The other feelings were of the affliction on the back of her head.

At the bottom, he set her down gently. Once on the ground she looked up at him, "You know Tres-san… you're a very kind person." She flashed him one of her bright, sweet smiles, making him stare at her for two whole seconds before he continued walking.

---

"Eh?! You stay away for four days because you're too weak to come back! Now, when you come back, you get sick!!" Leon chewed her out when she showed up for work the next day.

Abel chomped noisily on Zelda's cookies. "It's not her fault. It's because she stayed up all night making these for me. Besides, she sick so don't give her a hard time!"

"That stuff you're eating could make you sick as well!"

The Crusnik grinned joyfully, "I don't care."

Zelda coughed and said to her partner in a hoarse, cracking voice, "I'm sorry you can't have any."

Dandelion whispered to Tres, "Be grateful."

"Is Weed-san telling you how much he likes my cooking?" She leaned forward, unable to hear well.

"…" The men gazed at her innocent, sniffling face and wondered how she was going to survive in the future.


	12. Chapter 12

"Lady Catherina," Zelda entered the temporary office.

Looking up from her paper work, the woman beckoned, "Come in. Have you brought the folder I asked for?"

"Yes ma'am. I'm sorry for taking so long. I had some trouble locating it; it is a difficult one to get one's hands on. I was hoping not to run so late as six o'clock," she held out the item.

"Is it six o'clock already? Excuse me but I told my brother I would check in at this time. Please stay for a few minutes, I will need to verify that file." The Duchess stood, her golden ringlets shifting against her ruby outfit. Zelda retreated to the farthest corner of the room, hoping to keep out of the way.

For the past month now, Lady Catherina had been visiting the nobles, requiring the AX to go with her unless on her orders to stay behind. The dark haired nun usually ran errands for her superior during this time. It was almost if the great woman did not want to send her on a mission and preferred to keep her close. Ever since the Amsterdam Incident, unspoken, she had been taken off of active duty. Which was no surprise considering it had cost them eleven prisoners, who knew how much valuable information and two of her operatives for five days.

While the lady Cardinal spoke with her brother via hologram, the onyx-eyed girl pursed her lips. She hadn't had much time with her partner and a strange loneliness started to sweep over her whenever she had too much time to think. Sure, Tres was around, but he wasn't with her. She caught brief glimpses of him in hallways or when Lady Catherina traveled. Yet, she never had a chance to speak a word.

As she continued to think, the power went out, leaving them in darkness. The Cardinal whipped around, "What happened?"

Over their earphones came Sister Kate's reply. "My lady, it seems that there was a fire in the northwest wing. You have Sister Zelda and Sister Ester is on her way."

"Alright," she glanced at Zelda. All was still for a few moments, although the sound of fire crackling and footsteps running below their floor, reached their ears.

"Don't move," someone whispered harshly from the balcony. The young boy, blonde, sporting clothes of the Empire nobles and is as silent as the wind, had twin pearly fangs protruding over his bottom lip.

"A vampire!" Cardinal Sforza disobeyed his command.

In anger the young man sped across the room and behind her, trapping her arms. "Didn't I say not to move? A vampire?! You would dare call me that you lowly Terran?! You would call the one who has brought an Imperial Message?" he hissed.

Zelda, who had been struggling to get her gun out of the holster, let go. "Imperial Message?" It was then that Gunslinger came in, firing off rounds. The Methuselah who was obviously in path of fire, grabbed his newly injured arm, spewing what sounded like curses.

"W-wait! Tres-san!" The young nun, without thinking or hesitating, jumped in front of the noble from the Empire. A single bullet lodged in her right shoulder, pushing her back with such an unimaginable force. At that moment, time slowed down, which she would later realize was the adrenaline rushing through her veins at the speed of light.

It seemed she would fall forever, blood streaming from her wound and a look of permanent surprise etched into her face. When a strange beating filled the room; she discovered it was her heart beating. By the time she hit the ground, everything had gone back to normal.

The vampire was gone, Sister Ester turned the corner with her gun drawn and the Duchess of Milan commanded someone for a doctor. Dazed, she reached out for her _tovares_, whispering his name, "Tres-san… don't leave me… please…" But the robot turned on his heel and disappeared through the doorway. Tears stopped in her wide eyes. She suddenly felt numb; the burning pain in her shoulder became nothing.

Sister Ester, red hair swinging, knelt at her side, "She's going into shock." She placed a warm hand against her fallen Sister's forehead. "It's alright, everything is going to be okay," Ester said in a low, kind tone.

It wasn't all right. Tres had deserted her, probably hating her. If he hated her, what was it worth living? The Cardinal could always find another errand girl, Leon, Abel and the Professor were most likely hiding veiled dislike, and she had no other place to go. No one else was closer to her then the AX.

"Sister Zelda, don't fall asleep. You _must _stay awake," blue eyes stated a little bit more urgently. She wasn't listening though; her eyelids were closing rapidly on this painful world. Then, there was nothingness, and she left herself float away into another world she had visited before. A world where only death awaited.


	13. Chapter 13

Sharp, cutting pain drove into her shoulder like a knife. Zelda wanted to reach over and touch it, making it stop. Yet she couldn't. The emptiness all around made it impossible for her. She had no body, no hand to hold to stop the pain. She wanted to someone to come and take it away. At first she hoped anyone would come, but eventually she didn't want anyone. There was this particular person she craved for, what she needed. But they didn't come. Somewhere deep inside, she knew they weren't going to.

An image appeared before her, in the midst of her nothing. She couldn't see who it was, for the specter was very hazy, only a spot in this never-ending dimension. Although she couldn't seem them, she knew who it was.

_Why?! What are you? Some ghost sent to torment me? I know you hate me! So just leave! _Her mind cried out. _LEAVE!!_ She sunk to her knees, letting the tears come and hoping the vision would go away. It didn't.

_Come._ The phantom commanded.

It only took the sound of that obscured voice to get her to stand up and run after the apparition. Feet pounding hard against the invisible floor and ragged breaths tearing from her lips, she followed the spirit. They continued until she burst through a slit, bringing her into a different universe.

Upon opening her eyes, she found two peering people up in her face. "Ah! She's awake!" The Professor and Dandelion backed up, letting her have some space.

Now that he knew she was awake, Leon unleashed his pent up frustration. "What were you thinking?! Jumping in front of Gunslinger while he was shooting?!! What are we going to do with you kid?"

Zelda's bottom lip trembled, "Um…"

"No- you weren't thinking! Can you imagine what we were going through? What if that bullet hadn't hit your shoulder? What if you had died??!! How do you think we- I mean, how do you think Guns would have handled that???"

Those words broke her sensitive heart. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She covered her face with one hand, "I'm sorry for making you worry. But… Tres-san wouldn't have cared. He doesn't care. He hates me. I made him hate me!!!" Sobbing, she tried to continue speaking but the racking lament drowned out her words.

William and Leon drew back, not knowing how to handle a crying girl. The Professor turned on his friend, "Look at what you did, you made her cry. You obviously went too far."

"Me?!" He grimaced. Ruffling his tousled hair, he started in a powerful tone, "Now listen hear, stop crying." That only made it worse. "Eh… stop…?" It didn't waver. "Kid, hear me out for a sec, Gunslinger doesn't hate you. He considers himself responsible for your accident."

"Sure he does," she muttered and turned her head to the other side. "You weren't there… you didn't see that cold stare he gave me. Even after I asked him to stay… he left."

Dandelion sighed, "Kid. You're blind as a bat."

She ignored him, staring up at the tiny purple flower in the window. Hope rising, she knew whom it belonged to. It came crashing down as she realized that he was giving it back. She didn't bother to hide her tears, it was too much for her fragile psyche.

Inside, she knew that she needed him. He was a part of her. Without him, it was like she had lost a limb instead of acquiring a gun wound. It was a bit of a shock to know how strong her feelings for him were.

Near the door, the two men carried out a whispery conversation. "I'm going to go see you-know-who right now. Watch her for me, and make sure to remove any sharp objects around the room. With that injury, she'll probably be even more clumsy than normal."

Leon's lips twitched in annoyance, "More like the way she is now will make her accident prone. She needs to hurry up and be happy again."

Professor put his hand on the doorknob. "She was shot with a silver bullet, she may have some kind of chemical unbalance right now. Anyways," he nodded, stuck his pipe in his mouth and moved through the doorway.

Weed-san exhaled in a complaining fashion, noting her weary, drooping state. "I hope this passes…"

---

Tres and the Professor were on guard duty, standing at the entrance of the building. Neither of them spoke, leaving things unsaid hanging between them. William wanted to tell the robot how much his partner was becoming depressed but he didn't interrupt the itching silence.

An arguing young couple stopped on the sidewalk near them. The young man reached out, "I'm sorry!"

The girl swiveled around, tears streaming down her face, "No you aren't. Do you know how much you hurt me? You hurt me!"

"I'm sorry," he touched her wet cheeks. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I never want to see you in pain."

She shoved him away. "Stop pretending! You never showed you cared before, why now?"

"It's because… I love you. And I never knew how to say it; I'm not very good with words. I am never good with showing my feelings but I'll say it now… I love you."

She shook her head and tried to walk off but the young man caught her. He grabbed her shoulders and spun her around to face him before he kissed her. They pulled apart and he said, "I'm sorry. Do you believe me?" Slowly, she nodded and they hugged.

The Professor sighed, "Ah, young love. My, I am getting too old!" The two men had seen it all. Tres stared at them for a moment longer before turning back to his duty.

---

Zelda touched the little flower gently, wondering how he had kept it alive for so long. It was as fresh as the moment she bought it. It no longer had its original light fragrance, but his smell. It still carried a slight breeze of his aura. She leaned her forehead against the cool window, feeling the flower. Sadly she muttered, "Tres-san."


	14. Chapter 14

A week had passed since Zelda had gotten shot. Her wound healed three times as fast as a regular person. A dark gray, impenetrable patch had grown over the injury, helping the healing process.

When it first appeared, the Professor studied it with great interest. He would take random- usually sharp- objects and bang on the armor. None of the instruments would make even the smallest dent or scratch. "Amazing! The density is amazing! If we had the ability to take your gift and spread it over our warships and weapons, we would be an unstoppable army! Does your armor have a weakness? Does it form under your skin, then appears when you need it? Or do you call it up from your body? Is this little scale only there now because you have an opening in your skin? Or do you subconsciously call it up so you will heal?"

On and on his endless questions came, shortly after he began, she stopped bothering. She sat there on the table, legs dangling over the edge, constantly being probed but staying silent. Soon, her face would freeze in that half-awake position. Only to have it move when someone said 'his' name. Then she would start to cry.

Dandelion forced himself between the curious William and the stoic Zelda, "That's it! You need to go outside!"

"Me?" the Professor pointed to himself.

"No not you!" he yelled before beginning again. "Go outside, see the gardens, do whatever it is that you do… since you have no balance and you can't cook-"

"I can't cook?" She lifted up her head, responding for the first time.

"Er…" Leon twitched. "What I meant was… you can't cook… for me. Because I am allergic to most of the ingredients in your food."

"I'll make something especially for you then," she smiled a little.

The Professor whispered, "You dug your own hole."

He winced. "What I was saying before was that you have a way with plants, so… go visit the garden they have here. Or something like that. Eh, I don't know! Do what you want, just don't sit here and become depressed!"

He stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. She exhaled slowly, thinking about what her friend said. Gradually she pushed herself up and forced herself out the door, stumbling a bit.

---

After dropping off some cookies for Abel, who had just come back from a mission, she perked up some. That man had a way of doing that to you. He had told her that going out to see the flowers was a good idea, and that he would join her in a few minutes. With that statement, she decided to follow her friends' instructions and go outside.

The air was clean and bright that morning, the birds sang out as if all were right in the world and even the grass seemed a shade greener. The garden here was a bit small compared to the Vatican's but it none-the-less lacked in beauty. Every flower picked itself up upon her arrival, as if warmly greeting her.

She reached out, saying hello to each one of them. About halfway inside, she found one lone rose drooping sadly. Holding out her hands, she comforted the flower, hoping to cheer it up.

Someone came around the bend just then, making her look up. Immediately she regretted coming out here at all. Tres was walking in her direction and she tried to shove herself into the hedge. She didn't want to face him, she couldn't. Blushing like mad, she pretended to occupy herself with the rose while she waited for him to pass.

Ironically, he didn't. He stopped right in front of her. Zelda knew there was tons of room for him to go around her, but for some reason he didn't. She peeked up at him, wondering what he was doing. He stood there, staring at her.

The thought that he might want an apology struck her. She gulped and croaked out, "Uh… I… I… wanted to say…" His presence overwhelmed her, distracting her thoughts wildly. "Um…" She fidgeted with the thin, green stem.

Tres' hands strongly grasped her shoulders, which made her wince slightly, and turned her around to face him. What happened next, happened in a single moment but it felt like an eternity. Eyes closed, he bent down. His synthetic lips brushed hers ever so softly and gently. Just as quickly that he did that, he left her side and was gone.

Zelda stood in shock, not moving, not breathing. The strongest blush she ever conjured up hit her face like a brick. With the sudden blood rush to her head and combined with the surprise, her eyes rolled back into her head and she slumped to the ground like a puppet with it's strings cut.

---

"Do you think she's sick?"

"She was really red when she collapsed…"

"Hmm."

"Maybe we shouldn't have pushed her to go outside yet…"

"_We_? It was _you _who forced her to leave. Both she and I were quite content to sit here and find out the secrets to her ability."

Someone snorted.

The voices that floated above her became clearer the more she listened to them. The more they became clear; her surroundings became sharper. By the time of other person's rejoinder, she was fully aware that she was in the makeshift first aid room. Sitting up warily, she looked for the people who were talking.

The Professor peered at her, "Are you feeling better? Although you don't have a fever, do you feel a little dizzy?"

Remembering Tres' kiss, a garnet wave caked onto her pale face. She placed her hands against her heated cheeks, "Y-yes…"

"Well, I've got to go but Leon will help you out. Get better, we can't have one of our members permanently staying in the nurses' office," William chucked, pipe in his mouth. He left, leaving Dandelion and her alone.

"So… do I need some medicine or anything like that?" She asked quietly.

He shut the door to the room and folded his arms across his chest, "I think we both know that you aren't sick. Well, physically sick. More like heart sickness."

She nearly swooned again. "You- you mean… you know?!"

He clicked his teeth, "Oh yes, how will I ever forget seeing _that_? Kid, everything out of the normal happens around you. It's a surprise that you aren't use to it yet."

She gripped the edge of the thin mattress, thinking about everything all at once. "You won't tell anyone will you?"

"I'm not into gossip."

"Did-" she tried to breathe slowly and think about other things then her partner and his lips. "Did anyone else see it?"

"I'm pretty sure Father Abel saw it. He rounded the corner at the right time and he _dropped_ one of your cookies. That's what clued me off, but I don't know what he did after that. You had fainted and I was a bit busy yanking your insanely heavy body up the stairs."

"I'm heavy? But Tres-san has picked me up before very easily…" she started to trail off at his name.

Leon griped, "Yes you're heavy! You're like a solid block of iron in the shape of a teenage girl! Gunslinger is pretty strong, so it's no wonder he could lug you around."

Another blush spread across her face and she stared at her feet. Once again, her mind went on the replay track, playing that moment over and over. She didn't understand what made him do that though, wasn't she suppose to be apologizing?

Dandelion sighed and closed his eyes. "Kid, it's probably too late to say this but, you should stop whatever is going on between you and Gunslinger. I mean, it's not a good idea. If Lady Catherina gets wind of this, he will no longer be your partner."


	15. Chapter 15

"It's okay. All will be alright if you don't see him…" Zelda whispered to herself. She clutched the cross necklace she was wearing, praying for strength. Ever since Leon had told her that her feelings for her _tovares_ would not only break their partnership, but it would get them in trouble, she had decided to stay out of Tres' way. And she wouldn't let him get into trouble because of her.

Taking a hesitant step outside her door, she peered into the hallway quickly. Seeing it clear, she sprinted to the corner and peeked around it.

"What are you doing?" Someone asked behind her.

"AH!" She jumped up nervously. "Oh, Vaclav-san… ahahahaha… you snuck up on me!"

"Sister Zelda, is something wrong?" his dark eyes searched hers kindly.

Flushing, she thought of something to justify her actions. "N-no… I'm just on my way to… the…"

"The? The what?"

"The garden!" she spat out quickly, without thinking.

He smiled lightly, "I'll take you then." He motioned to her and she followed silently. Her mind started going ninety-to-nothing. Why did she say the gardens? If there was any place to meet up with Tres, that would be the first place to go. Was she stupid? Or was she purposely trying to put herself in the worst position? Why… why couldn't she stay away from him? Why couldn't she let him go? It was for the best. If things continued, one or both of them would get hurt. Most likely Zelda.

"Here we are," Vaclav smiled.

"Oh… thank you." They split ways and she headed for the vibrant flowers from yesterday. "Hello little ones…" she lit up and caressed each one individually. They moved up and down gently in her hands, responding in their flowery language. Her fingers curled around the petals and shifted them around absently.

Abel bounded up to her, "Zelda-san! There you are! I have some information that you might want! I've been looking for you everywhere."

She blushed hard, remembering what he witnessed. "O-oh?"

"Yep!" He beamed. "It's about your previous missions! You know how you were looking for the missing people? Well, people are starting to go missing here also! It's almost as if the person responsible, is taunting the Vatican."

Something that one of the vampires she killed had said, stuck with her. "Abel-san? Is… is there anyone in the Rosen Kreuz Orden that can control puppets?"

He frowned, "Yes, we've encountered him before. His name is Dietrich. Why do you ask?"

"Because a vampire we had tracked, mentioned something like that. I think that this Dietrich is the one behind the missing people case."

"Hmm, I'll alert Catherina-san." He nodded. Then, his eyes passed over her head and he whispered, "Zelda-san. Turn to your right and tell the person there how you feel about them."

She stared up at him, "Um… Abel-san. I think you're nice and-"

"Whoops, wrong right. I meant to say left," the corners of his mouth uplifted into a smug, kitty looking grin.

Slowly her head rotated around to glance in that direction. "Abel!!!" She choked loudly, face on fire. Tres had to be standing right there, a few paces away from her. She stepped back, trying to gain control over herself but her ankle twisted slightly. The accidental movement in her leg was so small, only she noticed it. Yet, it was sharp enough to make her fall forward, landing into the Crusnik's chest.

"Er… it seems I've made Tres upset," he smiled cheerfully. "He's gone now. He gave me a rather cold look just then… but I suppose from his view, it seemed that you yelled out my name and ran to my arms."

"What?!" She cried, pushing away from him. Zelda chased after her partner without saying goodbye to the silvery, joyful man. _Tres-san!_ She mentally shouted, hoping that it would make it to him. Suddenly, she didn't care that she was suppose to maintain a professional standpoint and keep herself unemotionally attached. She wanted to be with Tres. All the walls she had been trying to build, crushed completely. In the demolition, all that was left was a pile of crumbled ash and dust.

Leon stepped in her way, causing her to stop short. His face was serious, his eyes sending off waves of apology, "Kid, Lady Catherina want to see you in her office. Now."


	16. Chapter 16

"Catherina-sama!!!" Zelda burst into the lady's office. "It's not Tres-san's fault!!! It's mine! I promise! Please don't blame him!!!"

"What?" Goldie Locks glanced up from her papers.

"That is why you summoned me here… isn't it?!" She started forward.

Waving a slip of paper around, the woman responded, "No, I wanted to you to go buy some things for me. …What is your fault?"

Black eyes widened and her gaping mouth closed itself. "Um… nothing. Excuse me. W-what are the things you needed me to get?" Raging inside her head, she berated herself, _You should have seen what she wanted first!! Then you wouldn't be in this situation! Let's hope that she will be distracted…_

The Duchess handed the piece of paper over to her subordinate, "These items can easily be found in any corner store. I trust you will not get lost on the way there?"

"I don't lose my way often," Zelda smiled happily.

"That's right… Since the distance is so sort, I trust that you will not fall and have to spend more time in the hospital?"

The young girl winced, embarrassed that everyone knew her weakness. Well, one of them anyway. As for the other… news of him seemed to slowly be spreading around. "Yes ma'am."

"Good," the Cardinal bent over her work again, closing their brief meeting.

Zelda shut the door behind her, stepping out into the hallway. Relief swept over her in staggering amounts. Her feelings and partnership were safe… at least for now. Yet, how long could it last? How long could her not-so-hidden love for him keep in the shadows? How could– if he had any- Tres' affection for her remain from Lady Catherina's knowledge? It was only a matter of time.

Up ahead of her, she spotted her _tovares_ and suddenly decided something. If this was going to be found out sooner or later, and if she could no longer be his partner, she might as well go down burning for it. "Tres-san!" She called out, running up to him.

So pleased that she didn't trip, she looped her arm around his, "Are you heading to the gate? If you are, then please, let me join you."

He didn't say anything but he continued walking, telling her his answer. She smiled and slipped her hand into his, twining their fingers together. At that, he looked down but he didn't respond or pull away. Letting the soft, pleasing silence swirl around them, they simply enjoyed one another's presence while they walked.

"Zelda-san!" A young man's voice echoed over the pavement when they reached their destination.

She looked up in complete surprise, "Lynde-san? How did you find me here?"

Lynde's swishing, auburn hair curled slightly around his featured face. "You never said good-bye, and I terribly missed your presence so! It took me a while but I was able to find you. A heart can always find it's true love!" His gaze focused downward, primarily, on their hands.

Embarrassed by everything and recalling her chore, she excused herself. "I shall have to speak to you another time Lynde-san." She reluctantly let go of her partner's hand and smiled, "Good-bye Tres-san."

Lynde's charming, pleasant smile faded into a cold smirk as he watch her skip away. He turned gracefully to Tres, his words as smooth as silk, "You should let her go. You aren't enough, what she needs is a human. A human will understand her, take care of her… love her. You can't do that because you are a robot. You have no feelings, you cannot understand her, take care of her or love her. You can only do what you are programmed to do. The only way you would ever have a chance with her, is if you were human. The only way you could truly and sincerely love her is if you were human. And the only way she could return those feelings, was if you were a human too."

Tres did not move, did not say anything, only stared at the cruel young man.

"Let me tell you the definition of 'Sincere'. Sincere means genuine, honest, real," Lynde began to walk by him but stopped so he could whisper the last word into the android's ear. "Inartificial."

He left Gunslinger standing in front of the gate, where the only thing that interacted with him was the bitter wind.

---

Zelda frowned as she passed different streets, "Hmm. Maybe I did get lost after all… I don't know any of these street names." She glanced up at the quickly darkening sky and sighed. When her eyes returned to the city, she had found herself in a series of misty, winding alleys. There were lamps on the sides of the pathways but they didn't turn on like they should have.

"I suppose I should go back…" she began to turn around but something shifted in the shadows. A streak of ruby passed her cheek. She whipped around as three large, blood red, horned monsters arose from the ground.

Reaching for her gun, she tried to run through their captive circle but they pushed her back. She leapt off the ground and kicked one in the head. It grabbed her leg, twisted it and sent her crashing to the ground. Her head scraped the concrete, a painful groan escaped her lips as she blacked out.

---

"Catherina-san!" Abel popped into his friend's office. "Do you know where Tres is? I wanted to tell him to take over my duty for a minute so I could go get some snacks, but I can't find him anywhere!"

Lady Catherina paused, "Tres? No I haven't, he should be on guard as well. And what do you think you're doing, buying snacks on duty?"

"Er…" He realized his mistake.

Sister Kate, who had been speaking with the Cardinal before, asked, "My lady… I spoke to Father Tres only an hour ago. He had asked for certain coordinates around the city. I had thought that you wanted them… was I wrong?"

The lady's monocle shone hard, like diamond as she pondered. She racked her mind, trying to find an explanation. Then something clicked. "…Where is Zelda?"

Abel tapped his face, "Didn't you send her to go buy something?"

"She hasn't returned yet?"

"No… why?"

"It shouldn't have taken her this long. Abel, gather up Leon and William and have Sister Kate give you the information she told Tres. Then, I want you all to check out those places. Report back to me if you find anything." The Duchess of Milan's eyes narrowed.

"Yes," he started for the door.

"And Abel…"

He paused, "Yes?"

Her eyes bored into his, "If you find Zelda and she is in her other form… shoot her on sight."


	17. Chapter 17

The throbbing, stinging pain on the side of her head awoke her to the danger around her. Zelda winced and observed her surroundings. Tight, metal chains bound her ankles and wrists and a strange device had been attached to her head. Her eyes wobbly searched the ancient, damp ballroom she was captive in, until she noticed a man with long, purple hair and cold, malicious eyes.

"Hello Zelda Bäcker. My name is Isaak Fernand Von Kämpher. Rosen Kreuz Orden, magus rank. Also known as Panzer Magier," the man introduced himself.

She frowned, "Why am I here?"

A small smirk appeared on his smooth, pale face. "To make this superb scientific discovery work, I need a human's life and another human that has special abilities. Witches will work, but not as well as a simple human like yourself. Lately there has been a shortage of the kind I need and the Vatican seems full of them. So, I am killing two birds with one stone."

"So you picked me because I'm from the Vatican? When you could have anyone else in the world?"

"No. You aren't the human life I need; it's your ability that I covet. It will work wonderfully and efficiently in the process. Besides, I could always pull someone random from the crowd, which is what I have been doing."

Zelda's eyes widened, "Y-you… you were behind the missing people case? But… Dietrich…"

"Dietrich is too busy toying with the Imperial Nobles to work with this," Kämpher laughed. His laughter echoed loudly, just like in her nightmares.

"You were the one at the warehouse in Paris! The one that exploded! What- what happened to the people?!!" She strained against her bonds, leaning forward.

He brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes very casually, "They have long since filled their purpose."

Tears welled up in her eyes and she tried to remain calm, which was a nearly impossible task. "…Why? Why did you kill them?"

"Because of this," a tiny phial floated above his outstretched hand. "It will be the most prized possession in the world. Everyone will crave for it; no one else could ever make a reverting-vampires-into-humans process."

"You can turn vampires into humans?" She asked, astonished.

"That and more." He suddenly turned his head towards the entrance, "It seems we have another visitor. I'm quite sure he couldn't have figured about your kidnapping just yet, so let's see what he wants. You will have to disappear for a while Zelda Bäcker." He snapped his fingers and her head limply rolled forward, unconscious. Her chains moved on their own, dragging her back into the shadows.

Someone pushed the doors across the room, open. Tres strode in, stopping twenty paces from the Orden member. His face held a quiet determination, his guns were still strapped in while his arms hung by his sides.

"Hello again Tres Iqus. What have you come here for?" Kämpher stared down coolly at the android.

He responded, "I want you to make me human."

"Why?"

Tres didn't answer, only kept the determined look.

"You… would do this for your partner? You would give up your immortality for _her_? Why would you do that?" he read in between the lines.

Once again, the killer doll did not respond.

Kämpher burst out laughing his ranging pitch laugh. "You _love _her?? A robot is in love with a human girl! This is truly amusing." Silencing himself after a while, he continued, "Alright. I'll help you. I've been wanting to see how far this would work."

The magenta glowing vial flew out of his hand and stuck Tres in the neck with it. Gunslinger collapsed, his gloved hands trying to grip the floor. His body twitched, as if in pain, and the sound of ragged breathing reverberated across the silent room.

"Hmph," the villain smirked.

Slowly and excruciatingly, Tres stood up. He held up a now living hand. Tugging off his gloves he felt skin, air and material all at once. For the first time, he could physically feel things.

"I will have to cut your time short," Panzer Magier announced. His garnet minions rose from the ground, encircling the AX member. "I need a human life to make another one of those you just used. So, your life will have to do. Another of the 'killing two birds with one stone' example."

Gunslinger reached for his guns but realized in horror that he could not use them. The daemons clawed at him and took him down, ending the fight rather quickly.

Kämpher heard Tres groan lightly and sink to the floor. The man's lips tugged upward into a murderous smirk, "Good-bye, Tres Iqus."


	18. Chapter 18

_Tres…_ Zelda thought groggily. She heard his voice somewhere… somewhere in the darkness. Where? Where was he? Her mind pushed and strained against the invisible barrier surrounding her. Her consciousness rammed it, shattering it to little pieces. The black world uncovered her eyes, showing her the image of her beloved. Yet, Tres was falling.

They were both in the ancient ballroom, with Kämpher and… his minions. As her partner hit the ground, it jarred her awake. "Tres-san!!!" She ripped the chains off of her in such ferocity; even the Orden member briefly glanced her way.

She slid down next to his side, "Tres-san!! What's wrong? What's going on???"

He grasped her hand and held it next to his cheek. Then he touched her cheek lightly with his other hand. "…Zel…da…"

It struck her that this had been the exact position she held him in Paris. She stroked his face, "What…? What is it?"

His eyes closed and his arms fell to his sides. Tears fell off of her eyelashes, "What?! Tres-san??"

"He's dead," Kämpher said to her.

She looked up. "He- he can't be! He has a self-recovering system!"

"It is probably destroyed now. The chemicals in my Reverting formula would have corrupted his machinery to be unreadable."

"You _forced _him to take the stuff in that vial?!"

The man laughed, "Not me. You. He came here asking for it so he could be human. He wanted to be human because he_ loved _you."

Zelda stared down in horror and asked her dead _tovares_, "You loved me Tres-san??" Waves of tears streaked down her face, unimaginable pain sweeping over her. She emitted a scream that came forth from her innermost being, "TRES!!!!!!!"

She shook him as best as she could, "Tres! Wake up! Please wake up!! Please! Tres!!!!" Sobbing, she punched the ground, breaking the old marble under her. "Tres!! No!! I- I- I- never… I never told you I loved you!!!!!!! So don't leave me! If you d-die then who's going to help me up when I fall?! Who's going to ignore me when I apologize?! And- and how can I live without you??!!"

Suddenly she spun on Kämpher, "How? How did he die?!"

"My formula was built to target certain things in a vampire's bloodstream but when it was given to him, it only messed with his hardware. Tres Iqus is fully mechanical save for part of his brain. Because of that part of him, he developed an essence of what one would call 'the soul'.

"He never became human when I gave him the formula. The readings sent to his brain were telling him that he was breathing, they told him that he could feel his glove and they told him that he could feel your skin. They even told him that he was dying. In the end, it was only a failed experiment even though it filled his wish. It filled a fool's wish," he laughed.

Zelda dug her fingers into the ground, ripped off a slab of the rock and slung it at him. "SHUT UP!!!" She stood up, staring at the ground, "Tres was a better man than you will ever be. Don't you DARE make fun of him!!! And it was you- you killed him!!"

She grabbed her head as if in pain. "You killed him!!! I hate you!! I HATE YOU!!! I'll never forgive you!!" Dark gray armor appeared beneath her skin, slowly incasing her. Her clawed hand stretched out and swiped at a dirty, yellow column. It crumbled beneath her sharp fingers.

She breathed a strange, multi-voiced sound, "I'll bring this place down. With all of us inside."

Kämpher smirked, his eyes lighting up a little. "Hmph."


	19. Chapter 19

Tres' eyes opened and he sat up. Everything was scrambled; nothing made sense. He was lying on a bench in front of a long chain of rubble piles. It stretched from one end of the street to as far as he could see in his present state.

The Professor was standing next to a twisted lamppost, smoking his pipe. He looked over at him, "You shouldn't be sitting up so quickly. Your system is only up to 20, and that's very impressive since you shouldn't be alive right now."

Tres couldn't speak; his hardware wasn't ready yet. Instead he stared at the massive destruction in front of him.

William answered, glancing back up at the mountain of debris. "Yes, you can thank Zelda for that. Since she thought you were dead- as you could have been- she went on a little mad spree. Your girlfriend took out _half of the block_."

"Girlfriend??!" the nun's blushing voice reverberated across the way. They could hear her limping footfalls from down the street.

"Hey! Don't get up just yet! Your still half-conscious!" Leon yelled from the area she was.

Zelda ignored him and ran awkwardly over to her partner. "Tres!!" She launched herself into his arms, sobbing hysterically. Fat tears rolled down her cheeks and she buried her face into his chest. "I thought you died!! How could you do that to me? How could I survive without you? I think you're perfect the way you are! Where did you get that idea anyway?"

Leon rounded the bend, "That Lynde guy that's obsessed with you, insulted Gunslinger and said some pretty nasty things. I overheard him earlier and don't worry- we took care of him, didn't we Professor?" He sent a thumbs up over to his friend.

Abel appeared behind them. "Zelda-san! I'm glad you're all right! But…there's something I must tell you… Catherina-san told me that if you had 'gone out of control', I was to shoot you. Yet it seems," he threw his firearm to Dandelion. "I've lost my gun temporarily."

"Thank you Abel-san," she smiled.

"Kid," Leon scratched his head as he stared up at the endless mound of concrete, pipes, wood, metal and glass. "I have a strong feeling that you'll be on errand duty forever."

She chuckled weakly, imagining the confrontation with the Duchess. Professor noticed that Tres and Zelda were having a 'moment' and cleared his throat. "Well, we had better go check on that one pipeline…"

Dandelion understood and nodded, "Yeah. We should…"

Clueless, Abel asked, "What pipeline?"

"The pipeline- over there… somewhere," they dragged him along the broken sidewalk.

She turned back to Tres. "When I had thought you died- my heart shattered into a million pieces. It killed me to know you were no longer with me. It also hurt because I never told you… that I loved you."

His arms wrapped around her in response. They stood there in an embrace for a long time. Zelda didn't know how much time had passed, until she stood back a little and he tenderly stroked her face. Still smiling, she started to cry again and hugged him. He hesitated and she wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, "I know, I know. Water isn't the best for you."

A man in a dark cloak and long golden locks tumbling out of the front of his hood appeared out of the dust. He stared up at the wreckage, "What has Sister Zelda done now?"

She twirled around quickly, "Hughue-san! When did you get here? And what do you mean, 'what have I done now'?"

Leon's voice carried over to their ears, "She went a bit crazy over Gunslinger and destroyed the place."

She flushed deeply and grabbed her _tovares_' hand, calling back, "It wasn't totally my fault!" Someone –most likely Dandelion- snorted. His retort was inaudible but none-the-less dripping with scorn.

Zelda slipped her fingers between his and whispered, "I love you, just the way you are, Tres the Gunslinger."

He still couldn't speak but his eyes told her that he loved her too. They continued to hold hands even as they rejoined their friends, no, their family. Just thirty minutes later they would meet up with another member of their family- a frustrated but calm lady Cardinal.

---

"You're in a lot of trouble," Sister Kate warned before they entered the Duchess' office.

The door swung open and Lady Catherina's eyes flashed cold anger through the room and into the hallway. "Zelda, I have _many _folders that need to be filed. It will probably take you a year to finish it all."

The black-eyed nun jumped into the red haired robot's arms, "Ah! Tres help me!"

"Help you from what? After the massive demolition you caused, this is only one of your punishments. You will be running errands for me- _forever_!!"

**The End**

(Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who read and/or responded to the story! I appreciate every one of your replies! I hope you enjoyed it!)


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